Volume 24 – Number 10 March 2, 2015

(Continued on page 2.)

EOM Transports Kindness to Patients

THOuGH THERE MAY BE some debate as to whether this is the Year of the Ram, Goat, or Sheep, there is no such argu-ment about QMC’s February Employee of the Month Kenny Kwong. Kenny is a transporter for Central Transport Servic-es (CTS) and is assigned to the Imaging Department. A QMC employee for only four years, Kenny nevertheless has made an indelible mark at Queen’s.

The first time Imaging coworker Jen-nifer Bradbury encountered Kenny was actually hearing him through the curtain as he was assisting a patient. “His whole tone was just so kind and thoughtful. You could tell he really wanted to make sure that patient was comfortable before he left the area,” she recalled.

“We all love you in Imaging,” assured Beverly Toledo, another Imaging staffer, who was herself an Employee of the Month back in February 2003.

Kenny deflected praise, saying, “We have great teamwork over here—every-body helps each other.”

His manager Shereen Johnson said, “I

watch him at work…he is a quiet guy, but he is always out there on the floor doing what he needs to do. He inspires me to be better. I have learned a lot from him. He’s not afraid to come to me with an idea and he is always willing to try any-thing new that I come up with.”

Also attending the surprise celebration were Kenny’s daughter vanessa, his wife Icy, and student volunteer Chris Ilar, who shadowed Kenny as part of his volunteer work. Icy works in Queen’s Heart Physi-cian Practice, as does Kenny’s mom Amy (also the EOM in April 2012). vanessa says that her dad has taught her to work hard, to give your all no matter what you are doing, to follow through, and to do what you say you will do. “He’s very caring and non-judgmental,” the teen added. “And he loves to help people. He literally stops whatever he’s doing if he sees someone

who needs his help.” Chris said that he learned a lot from working with Kenny, in-cluding, “Just keep working, even if you’re tired. Take a break if you need to, but then get back at it and do your best.”

Many years ago, Kenny lived in Hong Kong where he worked in a law firm. He

layer of information to increase diagnostic confidence. “The advanced technologies available through the Acuson S3000 de-vices dramatically enhance our ability to provide consistently clearer results with a more comfortable and time-efficient exam experience for all of our ultrasound patients,” Leslie added.

ultrasound is a common imaging tool that uses high frequency sound waves to produce images of structures and soft tissues in the body. It is most frequently used as a diagnostic tool to view or-gans such as the liver, spleen, arteries, veins, legs, arms, and neck. ultrasound can measure the flow of blood to many organs. It is often used on pregnant women to check the baby’s size, devel-opment, and position, and to help guide needles for biopsies.

THE IMAGING DEPARTMENT at North Hawai‘i Community Hospital (NHCH) pur-chased three Acuson S3000 ultrasound systems from Siemens Healthcare.

“This new equipment offers the top ultrasound technology available today,” explained Leslie Brusk, NHCH Direc-tor of Imaging Services. “The advanced technology ultimately translates into ex-ceptional image quality, greater exam ac-cess and a wider range of exams for our patients.” New exams include musculo-skeletal ultrasound exams, 3D imaging for obstetrics and elastographies, an ex-am that measures the elasticity of organs.

Additionally, the new ultrasound sys-tem offers multi-modality review capa-bilities allowing CT and/or MRI images to be imported for quick and easy side-by-side comparison, producing an additional

NHCH Gets Top ultrasound Systems

EOM Kenny Kwong(Continued from page 1.)

started out as the firm’s messenger and ended up as its manager. When Icy and Kenny decided to move to Hawai‘i to be closer to family, Kenny found a job working for Catholic Charities as a billing specialist. He got laid off during a downsizing and looked to Queen’s where Icy was already employed. “I really like helping people, and though I was doing that at my previous job,

now I actually get to help them directly.”Shereen says Kenny is one of the top

performers in CTS, meaning the num-ber of transports he makes per hour. She appreciates his proactive approach in reviewing the daily appointments and anticipating what’s needed. His nomina-tion forms cited his positive attitude and constant smile.

Another coworker insists that Kenny has “dramatically helped the Imaging (pa-tient) flow since he has been assigned.”

“Family is the most important thing in the world,” Kenny remarked. He believes in sitting down to eat together every night with the Tv and gadgets off. “We share the experience of our days over dinner,” he explained. “It matters.” The close knit family usually enjoys dinner out once a week and spends a lot of time together driving vanessa to her many activities. “He takes me to swimming practice at 6:00 am, and even drove me to the Ho-nolulu Marathon start at 3:00 am,” she reported. “He’s a good dad.” Kenny just smiled with contentment.

Baseball hall of famer Lou Brock with the Diabetes Management & Education Cen-ter’s Anne Leake, PhD, APRN, Naomi Fu-kuda, RN, CDE, and Kelly McDaniel, Reg-istered Dietitican. Brock, who has diabetes, gave an inspirational talk about managing the disease at QMC-West O‘ahu last year.

THE DIABETES MANAGEMENT and Edu-cation Center at The Queen’s Medical Center – West O‘ahu has been awarded a Recognition Certificate for quality dia-betes self-management by the Ameri-can Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA believes that high-quality educa-tion is an essential component of effec-tive diabetes treatment, and the Rec-ognition Certificate assures that edu-cational programs meet their rigorous national standards.

Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who provide com-prehensive information about diabetes management. “The process gives pro-fessionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of services they provide,” explained Susan Murray, Senior vice President, West O‘ahu and Chief Operating Officer of The Queen‘s Medi-cal Center – West O‘ahu. “In addition, this recognition assures the community that

HELP RAISE FuNDS to cure diabetes by joining the Queen’s ‘ohana at the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 2015 Step Out Walk. This year Queen’s will be host-ing one big QHS team and all are encour-aged to participate. They’ll be back on Fri-day, March 6, or Tuesday, March 10, from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Harkness kiosk at the Honolulu campus. The family friendly event will be held on Saturday, March 21 in Kapi‘olani Park. You can also register or donate online at http://main.diabetes.org/goto/QueensTeam. Call Alana Buskerus at 691-7050 for more information.

Step Out to Cure Diabetes

QMC-WO Diabetes Ed Center Recognized

they will receive high-quality service at our facility.” Education Recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and awarded for four years.

The Queen’s Medical Center in Hono-lulu has held the ADA recognition since 2004, and was recently re-verified in March 2014.

ServiceServiceA W A R D S

February 2015

In acknowledgment of many years of continued service, the Queen’s ‘ohana congratulates those who are mark-ing an anniversary. Mahalo to all for your dedicated service. Employees work at QMC Honolulu unless noted.

5 yearsEloy Alibin IIIHarold BumanglagRay Dela Cruz

Monica Hahn, QHSAbigail KayJulie-May LunasAleta MonakhovLaurie Tsuhako, QHS

10 yearsFelipe AgooJocelyn ArizalaMary Jane CarganillaJenalyn CastilloDouglas CookTodd KimuraKathy KochGeoffrey SlaterDusan StojinovCherryl Jane Talavera

15 yearsBarbara ChildressMariaTheresa MolinaLeilani Tabile

20 yearsRuby AdamsJames Alviar, QMCWO

Maria Ligaya ButacHelen Manzana, QMCWOSandy Melton

25 years Pamela AloiauEdwin DaytonLorelynn HaysAaron OkinakaDarlene SardinhaCorene SasakiAdele Supe

30 years Shelia Kini

35 years Samuel AgpaoaSally Jones

L-R: Alana Buskerus of the Queen’s Diabetes Education Center, Nick Lawless, EEG Tech, Alison Greco, ADA intern, Lydia Kumaska, APRN, Manager, Patient Care Consulting Services, and Danielle Fuata, ADA Director.

The Queen’s Health Systems consists of The Queen’s Medical Center, The Queen’s Medical Center – West O’ahu, The Queen’s Health Care Centers, Queen Emma Land Company, Queen’s Development Corporation, Queen’s Insurance Exchange, Inc., Moloka‘i General Hospital and North Hawai‘i Community Hospital, and has ownership interests in CareResource Hawai‘i, Hamamatsu/Queen’s PET Imaging Center, and Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc.

The Queen’s Print Connection is pub-lished by Creative Services. If you have news or wish to opine, call 691-7532 or email jkimura@queens.org. The news deadline is Monday prior to publication.

QHS/QMC Pres. . . . . . . .Art Ushijima

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keala Peters

Editor/Writer . . . . . . . . . .Jason Kimura

Assist. Ed./Writer . . . . . Glee Stormont

NHCH Contributor . . .Krista Anderson

www.queens.org

The Queen’s Health Systems is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation

THE QuEEN’S MEDICAL CENTER’s 2014 Employee of the Year will be announced at a tea on Friday, March 6, from 2:30 – 3:30 pm in the Mabel Smyth Auditorium at the Queen’s Conference Center. All are invited to attend and support their favorite candidate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CLEAN HANDS ARE SAFE HANDS Fair will be held at North Hawai‘i Commu-nity Hospital (NHCH) Monday through Thursday, March 2 – 5, in rooms 319 and 321 at 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The special event will demon-strate the importance of hand hygiene and how to teach the proper technique to others. On Thursday, March 5, the event will culminate with a healthy des-sert bar for all staff.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARCH IS NATIONAL Nutrition Month. On the Honolulu campus, join Queen’s dietititans at the Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, March 4, as they focus on food trends. There will be handouts and healthy recipe tastings. The market is held in Harkness Courtyard from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NORMAN MILLER, MD, Gastroenterol-ogy; Michael Brodsky, MD, Cardiology; and Jeffrey “Doug” Miles, MD, Neurol-ogy, have recently joined the Queen’s – West O‘ahu Physicians’ Center. They are now accepting new patients by referral and can be reached at 691-3150.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DINNER SERvICE has come to the NHCH café. Based on staff and visitor feed-back, dinner will now be offered Mon-day through Friday, from 4:30 – 6:30 pm. Meal options include soup, salad bar, hot entrees, special orders, and packaged meals to go.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 HOuR FITNESS is offering Queen’s em-ployes a discounted membership if they sign up by August 1, 2015. A representa-tive will be at the Harkness kiosk on the Honolulu campus on Wednesday, March

4, from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm to sign you up and answer any questions you may have.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“MY ACHING JOINTS,” a free Speaking of Health community lecture, will be held on Thursday, March 19, at QMC – West O‘ahu from 6:00 – 7:00 pm in the main lobby. Orthopedics surgeons Alexander Garber, MD, PhD, Jason Kaneshige, MD, and Lorrin Lee, MD, will discuss: os-teoarthritis…why do I ache so much?; what can be done about it; and should I consider joint replacement? Reserve a seat by calling 691-3620 or go online to queenswestoahu.org/classes-and-events.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“ENGAGE AS YOu AGE: Keeping Fit in Your Fifties & Beyond,” a free Speaking of Health lecture, will be held Wednes-day, March 25, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm at the Queen’s Conference Center. Staying active is important as you age. Exercising can help build strength, increase balance and provide overall health benefits. But as the body ages and changes, how do you ensure you get the most out of your ex-ercises and activities while avoiding pain and injury? Join Rachel Coel, MD, PhD, Medical Director and staff physician for the Queen’s Center for Sports Medicine, and find out what’s recommended when it comes to exercising as you get older, as well as treatment options to help you get back into the game if you are already injured. Register online at www.queens-medicalcenter.org/health-lectures, or call the Queen’s Referral Line at 691-7117.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PERMANENT LIFE INSuRANCE Open Enrollment takes place February 23 – March 13, 2015. Benefit counselors will be on-site from February 23 – March 13, 2015. Life insurance open enrollment is only available once a year, and this year is your only opportunity to elect under “guaranteed issue,” meaning that you can elect coverage without answer-ing any medical questions up to a cer-tain amount. Log on to https://www.schedapple.com to make your one-on-one appointment today.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A BLOOD DRIvE will be held at Queen’s – West O‘ahu on Monday, March 30, from 7:00 am - 12:00 pm in the Emer-gency Department parking lot. To make an appointment, call 848-4770 or go online to BBH.org. Walk in donors are also welcome. All donors must bring

a current photo ID that includes birth date information.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“#WHATSHOT #WHATSNOT #GERI-ATRICMEDICINE,” QMC’s biannual ge-riatric medicine conference, will be held on Saturday, April 18 at the Halekulani Hotel. Guest speaker Eric Widera, MD, Director, Hospice & Palliative Care Ser-vice, San Francisco vA Medical Center; Program Director, Geriatric Fellowship, uCSF; Associate Professor, Department of Medicine - Geriatrics, uCSF Medical Center, will discuss decisional capac-ity and geriatric technology tools. Topics presented by Hawai‘i faculty will include cognitive assessment; Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST); advance care planning; new guidelines on common geriatric treatment issues; prescribing for geriatric patients; when to order physical, occupational, and speech therapy; and elder abuse. The confer-ence has been approved for 7.00 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM and nursing credits. For more information, contact: 691-7237 or cme@queens.org.